PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 11-1452 August 25, 2011 WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU ANNOUNCES ELECTRONIC FILING OPTION FOR CELLULAR RADIOTELEPHONE SERVICE FULL-SIZE MAPS By this Public Notice, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau) announces that, effective September 8, 2011, it will provide applicants for facilities in the Cellular Radiotelephone (Cellular) Service the option to file their full-size 1:500,000 scale maps electronically.1 Although applicants may continue to file full-size maps manually,2 we encourage electronic filing to provide a more efficient flow of information to the public,3 promote paperwork reduction, and facilitate Commission review of filings. We note that the option to file full-size maps electronically does not replace or modify the requirement to file reduced-size 8½ x 11 inch maps electronically.4 Procedures for Full-Size Map Electronic Filing Electronically filed full-size maps must be attached to an application in the Universal Licensing System (ULS) using both the geographic information system (GIS) software and the map-file format detailed in Attachment A. Full-size maps must comply with the shapefile5 requirements listed in 1 Full-size maps are maps filed by providers of Cellular service when applying for authority to operate in an unserved area. The public is afforded the opportunity to review these maps prior to the grant of the applications. Interested parties review these maps, which form the basis of the licenses. See 47 C.F.R. §§ 22.929(c), 22.953(a)(1) (full-size map filing requirements). 2 In 1999, the Commission required applicants for wireless facilities, including Cellular Service facilities, to file applications electronically. See generally Biennial Regulatory Review – Amendment of Parts 0, 1, 13, 22, 24, 26, 27, 80, 87, 90, 95, 97, and 101 of the Commission’s Rules to Facilitate the Development and Use of the Universal Licensing System in the Wireless Telecommunications Services, Report and Order, WT Docket No. 98-20, 13 FCC Rcd 21027 (1998) (ULS R&O), reconsideration granted in part, 14 FCC Rcd 11476 (1999) (ULS Recon Order). See also 47 C.F.R. § 1.913(b). At the time, the Bureau requested that applicants continue manual filing of full-size Cellular Service maps because then-existing technology rendered electronic filing of such maps impractical. See Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Clarifies Procedure for Filing Full-Size Maps in the Cellular Radiotelephone Service, Public Notice, 14 FCC Rcd 9679 (WTB 1999). 3 The public will be able to readily access electronic maps using publicly available geographic information system software. 4 See 47 C.F.R. §§ 22.929(c), 22.953(a)(2) (reduced-size map filing requirements). 5 Shapefiles are a data structure created using products of Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI). 2 Attachment A, and then must be converted into a Zip-file format.6 After a map is properly formatted for electronic submission, the applicant must upload the zipped file as an attachment to an application by selecting the “GIS Map Files” option from the attachment drop-down menu in ULS. Further details are provided in Attachment A to this Public Notice. Interested parties may review the electronic maps by downloading the shapefiles through ULS. The maps will be viewable using read-only GIS software, which can be downloaded for free at www.esri.com. Please note only maps filed electronically will be available to view using GIS software; maps filed manually will continue to be available to view in hard copy at the Commission. For further information, contact Chris Miller, Program Analyst, Mobility Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, at (202) 418-1328, chris.miller@fcc.gov. Action taken under delegated authority pursuant to Sections 0.131, 0.331, and 1.913 of the Commission’s rules, 47 C.F.R. §§ 0.131, 0.331, 1.913.7 Action by the Chief, Mobility Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. - FCC - 6 The Zip-file format is a data compression and archive format available in the public domain. 7 See also ULS R&O, 13 FCC Rcd at 21094; ULS Recon Order, 14 FCC Rcd at 11492. 3 ATTACHMENT A GIS Map Files Submission Process for Cellular Applications Parties now have an opportunity to attach GIS map files to the application filed via ULS. ULS requires the map files to be zipped prior to attaching them to the application. In the ULS attachment utility, use the drop-down box to select “GIS Map Files.” The “Browse” button opens a screen that enables the applicant to locate and select its map files. The “Description” field allows for a brief description of these map files. Click the “Add Attachment” button to upload the zipped map files. GIS Map Files Format The map files must be submitted in shapefile format. We require that the Table structure and naming convention be submitted as outlined below, and at a minimum, the following “Types” must be included in the submission: Proposed CGSA: Proposed Cellular Geographic Service Area (CGSA) to be authorized by either claiming unserved area as described in 47 C.F.R. section 22.949(b), or by reducing the authorized CGSA of the Cellular system. Proposed SAB: Composite of the proposed Service Area Boundary (SAB) beyond the CGSA unserved area, as described in 47 C.F.R. section 22.911. Licensed Site(s): Authorized cell site(s) (transmitting antenna location(s)). Proposed Site(s): Proposed cell site(s) (transmitting antenna location(s)). I. TABLE FORMAT · Table name ‘Market_Block_CallSign_MapDate’ -- i.e., CMAXXX_A_ABCD1234_201101011 · Include the following in the Table structure: o Licensee o Call Sign (if new application data in field name ‘New’) o Block o Market o Type o Map_date (creation date) o Site_Name o Site_No (location number) o Lat_DD (decimal degrees) o Lon_DD (decimal degrees) Table Field Definitions: LICENSEE CHAR(200) CALL_SIGN CHAR(10) BLOCK CHAR(4) MARKET CHAR(6) TYPE CHAR(20) MAP_DATE MM/DD/YYYY SITE_NAME CHAR(50) 1 If an ESRI product is used to produce the map files, please add region and point to the feature class (CMAXXX_A_ABCD1234_20110101_REGION and CMAXXX_A_ABCD1234_20110101_POINT). If MapInfo is used to produce the map files (prior to submitting via ULS), label as above. The Universal Translator will add region and point to the end of the file name. 4 SITE_NO CHAR(10) LAT_DD FLOAT LON_DD FLOAT LICENSEE CALL_SIGN BLOCK MARKET TYPE MAP_DATE SITE_NAME SITE_NO LAT_DD LON_DD ABC Cellular Licensee ABCD1234 A CMAXXX Proposed CGSA 1/1/2011 ABC Cellular Licensee ABCD1234 A CMAXXX Proposed SAB 1/1/2011 ABC Cellular Licensee ABCD1234 A CMAXXX Licensed Site 1/1/2011 3 45.1234 -120.123 ABC Cellular Licensee ABCD1234 A CMAXXX Proposed Site 1/1/2011 New Site 45.5678 -120.568 Accessing and Using GIS Map Files The map files are provided in shapefile format which is compatible with ArcExplorer® produced by ESRI. (Other viewer options compatible with the shapefile format can be used as well.) To get started, download and install an appropriate software package. For example: ArcExplorer® can be downloaded from the ESRI download page. To learn more about ArcExplorer®, visit the ESRI site. Questions and technical support for the program should be directed to ArcExplorer Support. Additional geographic extracts and links to the software can be found at: http://wireless.fcc.gov/geographic/index.htm.